Culinary corridor
Buckhead
Buckhead is widely acclaimed as the dining room of Georgia. There are almost 300 establishments in this community serving food and beverages, including many nationally acclaimed for excellence: Aria, La Grotta, and Restaurant Eugene have been awarded AAA’s Four-Diamond. Nine of the top 12 metropolitan Atlanta restaurant revenue-producers are in Buckhead, and over a third of the 16 restaurants in business for 25+ years in all of metropolitan Atlanta call Buckhead home. There is something for everyone’s taste and everyone’s wallet. The 2015 Buckhead Guidebook offers merely a sampling of one good experience for each of 125 categories, simply an introduction to what Buckhead has to offer. Most offer much more than the specialty indicated so call ahead to learn hours of operation, reservation provisions, etc. click here for more culinary experiences
Cumming/Forsyth
Featuring a wide variety of more than one hundred restaurants, the Cumming-Forsyth community has dining options for every taste. Find a number of award-winning restaurants easily accessible off the Hospitality Highway. Several dining sports offer a beautiful view of Lake Lanier. Whether you are in the mood for national fast food chains or one-of-a-kind local restaurants, Cumming-Forsyth County has it all. As a host of the National BBQ Cup, Cumming-Forsyth County has been nationally recognized as a top-ranking BBQ community. If you are looking for adult beverages, enjoy a wide selection of fresh beer from the Cherry Street Brewery or other pubs and restaurants in the area. Whatever flavor you favor, be sure to visit and enjoy delicious cuisine. click here for more culinary experiences
Sandy Springs
We like to say that Sandy Springs food is off the chain because so many unique restaurants here are local through-and-through. You can play video games while drinking a craft cocktail with a burger and tots at Battle and Brew, a gamer bar. In the heart of Sandy Springs, Kaiser’s Chophouse, an inspired collaboration from esteemed chefs Peter Kaiser and Kevin Rathbun, focuses on sourcing the highest quality and freshest ingredients served to guests in a luxurious yet comfortable environment. Il Giallo Osteria and Bar is a partnership between Chef Jamie Adams and Leonardo Moura and their goal is to transport you to a little piece of Italy. Chef Jamie has a loyal following from devotees of both his food and his work on The Food Network’s “Chopped” series. And Chef William Sigley, along with partner Jason Sheetz, own both local favorites Hammock’s Trading Company, a cool seafood bar, and Under The Cork Tree, which features the exotic and bold flavors of the Mediterranean and an extensive wine list.
If your interest in the culinary arts is of a more hands-on variety, hit the Heritage Sandy Springs Farmers market from April to December; check out North Georgia’s finest handcrafted artisan cheeses at Calyroad Creamery; spice up your life at Penzey’s Spices or indulge in the delicious array of gourmet goodies at Di Amano Chocolate.
With over 300 restaurants, Sandy Springs has dining options to satisfy every taste. Plan a date night at Ray’s on the River to have dinner on the banks of the Chattahoochee. Have lunch at Breadwinner’s Café, where bread is made fresh daily. Indulge your sweet tooth at Da Vinci’s Donuts, Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop, or Nothing Bundt Cakes. Or do it all in one night at Sandy Springs’ signature tasting event, Food That Rocks, featuring great live music and food, wine, beer and cocktails from our very best restaurants. Click here for more dining options
Roswell
Award-winning, chef driven restaurants abound, making Roswell a true “foodies” destination. From continental cuisine, down-home cooking, southern BBQ, sidewalk cafes and elegant dining, mouth-watering culinary encounters await you. Roswell is home to over 300 restaurants, 200 of which are independently owned and uniquely Roswell. On any given day you may find families, friends, businesses and yes, perhaps a celebrity or two, gathered around a Roswell table. Specialty drinks are abundant including a selection of American craft beers and varieties from around the world plus a showcase ‘Bourbon Bar.’ Many of Roswell restaurants, pubs and eateries present live music, featuring regional and local bands, vocalists, and songwriters. click here for more culinary experiences
Dawsonville
Visitors to Dawson County will be rewarded with acclaimed local restaurants, including the award winning Blue Bicycle, an upscale French bistro which offers seasonal variety and regular menu items of French-style cuisine with a Southern accent. Looking for award winning BBQ? Big D’s BBQ will show you southern hospitality and the best BBQ around. Dry rubbed, smoked over hickory and never served with BBQ sauce on the meat are a few items on the menu at Big D’s. Dawsonville Pool Room, offers a family atmosphere and is filled with an interesting collection of history and memorabilia from Bill Elliott’s NASCAR career and early moonshine runners. Legendary for its auto racing theme, memorabilia and “Bully” burgers, it has long been the unofficial auto racing headquarters. For a meal with a view, visit the Maple Restaurant at Amicalola Falls Lodge. Stop in for their great buffet or order of the menu and enjoy the view of changing seasons and mountain serenity. click here for more culinary experiences
Alpharetta
With over 200 dining options, exciting foodie events and authentic culinary experiences, Alpharetta knows a thing or two about good taste. Try the latest cutting-edge dish or enjoy the sounds of jazz, tango, or piano at some of Alpharetta’s locally-owned restaurants. Find chef-driven eateries in Downtown, around North Point Mall, and at Avalon. From Bocado Burger to Ray’s Killer Creek, each day brings new creative dishes. Opt for Alpine Bakery with an amazing array of tempting desserts. Local favorite Smokejack BBQ is the place for traditional southern cuisine. Pure Taqueria got its start in Alpharetta in 2005 and woos its customers with award-winning margaritas and tempting tacos. 2B Whole Bakery is home to gluten free fare and Secreto is menu-driven Southern fare based on local seasonal farm-to-table items. Colletta’s cuisine draws influence largely from Northern Italy, presenting new interpretations of Italian cuisine alongside traditional favorites. For those who have a taste for cooking up something new, take a class at one of Alpharetta’s two cooking schools including the only Publix Apron’s Cooking School in Georgia and Williams Sonoma at Avalon.
The Southeast’s premier dining festival, Taste of Alpharetta, features over 60 of the city’s restaurants in one downtown block on one unforgettable night each May. Downtown comes alive at the annual Brew Moon Fests, held every June and September, with food and beverages for purchase as music, laughter and dancing fill the streets. Don’t miss the Alpharetta Farmers Market every Saturday morning April to October for local produce, handmade soaps and other artisan creations. Click here for more culinary experiences.
Dahlonega
Imagine nearly 20 restaurants in a town of 7,000, all walkable from a central Historic Public Square and all independently owned, with no franchises, wide diversity and having earned resounding praise from publications like Southern Living and the AJC.
Dahlonega is a food lovers delight, boasting the “best Irish pub in all of Georgia” (Shenanigans) and the “best front porch in the state” (the Bourbon Street Grill) among others. Some featured dishes include award-winning gumbo cheese fries, and a gorgonzola shrimp linguine that is out of this world (Back Porch Oyster Bar). Foodies have discovered Dahlonega, not only for its food but also for its impeccable service and a uniformly welcoming atmosphere.
Those who venture out to breathtakingly beautiful Lumpkin County wine country (no more than a 15-minute drive from downtown Dahlonega) are rewarded with elegant lunches, brunches and dinners at destination wineries like Frogtown Cellars, Wolf Mountain and Montaluce and special event food options and items like cheese plates, specialty meats and occasionally food trucks at Cavender Creek, Three Sisters and Kaya. click here for more culinary experiences